Frontline reports:

21.04
The word going round is that the party tonight will not be attacked by the police because they shot a tourist with a rubber bullet during the afternoon and are not to fire in Placa Catalunya. 16 people still in jail (apparently) but there have been many injuries. During the afternoon the police attacked every mobile movement of people, the only way we could resist them was for people to get very close to police lines to stop them from using their rubber bullet guns. We were quite disheartened because everything quietened down and it looked like it was going to be impossible for us to regroup but now there is a big gathering in Placa Catulunya and there is a sounds system plus samba band and a few thousands people (activists and randoms) listening to music etc. There was a mass meeting and vote to decide if we should go to the jail in solidarity with the arrested but we decided to stay put. So that seems to be it for tonight. Guess tomorow will be rough as fuck because there will not be very many people out and the police will be brutal as fuck. Today, we are told, was the pacifist event. During said event Burger king lost its signs and all its windows, many shops on one side of the road were smashed and banks locks were glued and windows covered in Grafiti. We spent a lot of the afternoon in bars chatting to various people and are now going for some grub. At one point the police came under fire from bottles but responded by shooting fuck out of everyone. The day has been charcterised by skirmishes and extreme force from the police. Quite a few people have decided they have had enough and have called it a day I think. It is very good that we have been able to regroup etc, given police tactics. When we were able to push lines back and the police on other side of square were attacked with bottles was empowering
A

17.30
some 40 people arrested and injured by the police. Today´s demonstration involved something around 50.000 people (this is a number I have heard from numerous sources including a traffic warden). There was a march down the Passeig de Gracia, one of the principal avenues that lead into the city´s centre, Plaça de Catalunya. The sheer diversity of organisations, collectives and unions that participated in the march was impressive (over 500). Banners of all colours and sizes, thousands of bohemian costumes and of course music from all corners of the march made the event extremely enjoyable and exiting At the end of the march there was a large congregation in Plaça de Catalunya with dancing, some speeches and some juggling acts. Amazingly, no one seemed to have been too annoyed by our presence until then. Police, as far as I could see, kept a respectful distance, although there was a protective line of the bastards in front of the stockmarket. Around 14:00 - 14:15 events became fuzzy. There was a sudden volley of gunfire (rubber bullets apparently) from one side of the Plaça de Catalunya and people ran over to the other side. Warnings by some of the people on the speaker platform said that people were being arrested and shot, and that leaving the place was recommended. Soon afterwards police began to swarm en masse into Plaça de Catalunya and there was a general melee with crowds and individuals racing to escape the police´s clutches. Apparently it all started when they grabbed a masked youth, shoving him into a nearby police van. This set off a minor scuffle between demonstrators and cops, which was quickly resolved by the use of rubber bullets. A force of some hundred demonstrators remained near Plaça de Catalunya, trying to make a second stand against the police. Chants like " Policia assesino (Police are assassins)" or " Si disparais, sois nada (if you shoot, you´re nothing)made occasion quite pleasant and memorable. At some point though the police made a second attack. The bastard went for simply everyone, regardless of the fact that there were a lot of tourists and other people that didn´t have anything to do with the demonstration present. Batons and truncheons were favoured tools of choice to deal with the demonstrators. I hung around for a bit after that, dodging those bastards in the labyrintine maze of narrow roads, one way streets and what have you. Last I heard and saw, the police are still pursuing demonstrators all over the place. More later
B

15.40
March very big, we walked alongside it looking at all the different groups and ending up reasonably near the front. When we arrived in the square, we stood about for a bit and then as others were still filing into the square, we set off for lunch awaiting the next action. Meanwhile, unknown to us, people towards the tail of the march (which was many tens of thousands)totally fucking wrecked many of the banks. Anyway, then people are gathered in the square (where we were to spend much time doing different actions, agent provocateurs started trouble (a popular tactic of the Spanish police) and very quickly the police have turned the place into the fucking wild bunch. So we are sitting in a bar a few minutes from the square and all of a sudden there are hundreds of people running past us, police vans racing everywhere. We stayed in the bar until the situation had stabilised then joined one of many groups confronting lines of riot police. Police are using very many rubber bullets and baton charges. People were getting close to lines so that police cannot use guns and we were repeatedly pushing them back amid cheers and celebrations. Soon more riot police arrive and again crowds is chased away. Just now we are taking a bit to recover and are hoping to get back involved as soon as people can regroup. We went to attend the anarchist demonstration but it was attacked and dispersed before we even got there (before its scheduled starting time. Apparently the fighting here was very fierce. Just now people are meeting to decide what to do next there are many people in hospital and we are wondering what to do. You know I don´t think there is any point in complaining about police violence etc, but the way this has been policed is unlike anything I´ve ever seen. The tactics used are very alien to someone from the UK and it is very difficult for us to know what to do. We are permenantly crapping our pants, but I´m hoping to get back involved soon. There are many people walking about with injuries and there is a constant sound of rubber bullets being fired. I have just heard that while I´m writing this, a big anarchist gathering has been fired on and they have run back towards placa catalunya, it appears the police may be starting to try and arrest people. Anyway, suppose I´d better finish up and go and get shot at. We are all fine if a little shook up for a bit. . You can edit the report and spread about if you have the time. People here have shown some bravery but it is very difficult.
A

Anarchist Demonstration against globalisation, Sunday 24th June, 16.00 @ Placa Universitat .

There are lots of people going about town now, squat is full. (sat 23rd)

As thousands take to the streets across Europe to ‘welcome’ Bush and Billy the Kid joins the Swedish police force, we send our greetings and solidarity to those on the streets of Gothenburg and especially to all those who have been injured. With the use of live ammunition the forces of authority have escalated their violence in the direction of that often endured by our comrades in the global south. The attempted murders in Gothenburg are evidence, not only of lunatic cops who watch too many westerns, but also of the slowly increasing threat our movement poses to the establishment. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we are vocal in advocating a brighter future, in celebrating our potential to make radical social change, in insisting that another world is possible.

It is in this context that we look forward with anticipation to the events in Barcelona where things are developing very promisingly indeed. All the groups that were involved before the World Bank’s cancellation are continuing their mobilisations, while internationals are known to be travelling from France, USA, Canada, UK, Sweden (no rest for the wicked!), Denmark, Italy, Greece, Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands. Thousands recently took to the streets of Madrid to protest against president Bush while local actions are continuing across the Spanish State. The street Party in Barcelona on the 16th of June apears to have been a very great success, and there is real anticipation for the main events.

See you on the streets!

J25

Crowd on street on friday:

Sunday 24 june
MANIFESTATION "Other world is possible, let's globalize the resistences
and the solidarity".
at 12.00 from "jardinets de gràcia" ( Diagonal / Paseig de Gràcia)
There will be some performances on the way and it will end in Pça Catalunya

POPULAR TRIAL TO THE CAPITALIST INSTITUTIONS
at 18.00 in Pça Catalunya
ONE NIGHT AT THE STOKE MARKET, show-bus, party, dinner and camping
at 20.00 from pça Catalunya, to pg de Gràcia, where the acts will be in front of the stoke market.

Monday 25 june
GUIDED VISIT TO THE STOCK MARKET for a group of 20.000 people (aprox.)
at 9.00 in PÇA UNIVERSITAT
The stock market (or handbag) or the life: we will go to convert the stock market in what will win in the ideas contest that you can see in www.rosadefoc.org. And also...
many actions and acts that are being organized in a descentralized way!